Tag: covid

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Oregon Wine Month

Dear Wine Lovers,
Welcome back to The Good Drop Wine Shoppe’s wine blog. It’s Katherine here today and I thought I would highlight my experiences with Oregon wine, in honor of May being Oregon Wine Month.

When I was in college, I studied abroad in Tuscany, Italy where I worked for the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino. It was in Italy that my love for wine blossomed. A few years after my trip to Italy, I started working at Sweet Cheeks Winery, a small family-owned and operated winery and vineyard nestled in the Willamette Valley. I found such a pride for wine when I worked in Oregon wine country, a place where my love for wine and my love for home became intertwined. I found a sense of belonging in the wine experience as my knowledge grew of the the work and emotions put into the fostering of great Oregon wine. While I worked at Sweet Cheeks, I was able to participate in harvest and see all the moving parts of the wine industry. Many people only see the glamor and luxury of the wine experience… but few are fortunate enough to see it in its infantry, to see the tight-knit community of hardworking farmers who bring this dream to life.

I remember while visiting a winery in Tuscany called Col d’Orcia, the winemaker and owner expressed his desire for us students to call him a farmer not a winemaker, as the grapes are the true winemakers. On his property he had goats, lamb, pigs and gardens of vegetables and fruits, and, of course, hectares of vines. At the end of my visit, I was able to taste a bottle of his 100% organic Brunello Riserva 2012 with salami, honey, and cheese that was made and harvested on that plot of land that I had walked. That experience opened my eyes to the wine world in its wholeness and gave me the perspective I needed to embrace wine. The wine industry is certainly newer in Oregon than it is in Italy, but I see so many signs that our state is learning to do more than just make wine. Our state is an agricultural paradise built upon the hard work of loving hands and respect for the Earth’s fruits. I see here the same holistic passion for wine that I saw in Italy, an understanding that to experience wine is to do more than just sip it absentmindedly. Oregon openly bears its soul as an old-world producer would and I’m very excited to see the wine industry grow and thrive in the state. With approximately 790 wineries, Oregon is very quickly becoming a prominent wine region, but don’t let the speed of growth fool you. Oregon wine is made by hands very cognizant of the history and age-old values that first made wine special. With over 50 grape varietals grown, Oregon has been experimenting and collaborating with soil types, climate changes, and perfecting the coveted Pinot Noir. We are sure to see fantastic things come from Oregon wine in the coming future.

We would love to hear your wine journey, comment below or share with us on social media by tagging @gooddropwineshoppe

XO,
The Good Drop Girls

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4 Types of Wine Drinkers, Which Are You?

Hello Wine Lovers,

Welcome back to The Good Drop Wine Shoppe’s blog. Given the free time most of us have on our hands due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I believe this is a great time for some reflection. It’s Katherine here again and today I thought I would talk about the 4 types of wine drinkers. Most of you are likely going to fall into one, or more, of these categories so play along with me.

First, The Important. The Important is the wine drinker who embodies the classy, sometimes sassy, side of the wine world. The Important may not know everything about wine… but they certainly wouldn’t admit that. This wine drinker is a special type of stubborn when it comes to wine, they appreciate it for what it is. A work of art.

Second, The Foodie. Although we all would like to say this is the wine drinker we are, this is arguably the most rare of the 4 types. The Foodie is the wine drinker who brings together the sensory experience of enjoying a plate of grilled salmon with a chardonnay that has been aged 100% in new French Oak, for example. The Foodie is able to envision the connection between the essence of wine and the tastes of food that compliment it. The Foodie embraces the abstract of wine.

Third, The Smarty. The Smarty encompasses the technical side of wine drinkers. They are concrete, process-thinkers, who envision the growth and production of wine. When The Smarty is drinking wine they are often delving deeper into The Why. Why does this wine have a robust, deep red color? What made this Viognier acidic and fruit-forward? The Smarty is the wine drinker who isn’t afraid to ask questions… and to answer your questions.

Fourth, and final, The Social. The Social wine drinker is perhaps the most universal of the 4 types of wine drinkers. This one is an easy one for me to explain, and likely an easy one for you to understand. The Social enjoys the environment of drinking wine, the conversations exchanged with friends and family, the camaraderie involved. For The Social, drinking wine is about sharing it with others and using a bottle of wine to make long-lasting memories. 

These 4 types of wine drinkers are one of the many reasons I love the wine world, it is a complex but interwoven network of people who share a love of wine in common. Considering the times we are in with the Covid-19 pandemic, I urge you to use this blog post as a tool to find out the type(s) of wine drinkers you are. And, we can help you with that at The Good Drop. Once you have determined what type of wine drinker you are, stay tuned for our next blog post where I will share tools and ideas that might help you fully embrace your wine lifestyle. Please comment below and feature @gooddropwineshoppe on Instagram to share with us the type of wine drinker you are.

XO,

The Good Drop Girls